Driving mechanism for bicycles.



No. 645,065. `Patented Mar. I3, |900.

A. A. BROWN.

DRIVING MEGHANISM FOR BICYCLES.

\Applcatiou filed July 31, 1899.1

2 Sheets-Shen (No Model.)

Noam P :Tras cu. PHoYaLn'nov. wAsmNnToN, r.v c.

Patented' Mar. la, |600.

A 1 A. nown.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR BICYCLES.

(Application fled July 31, XBSJSLi 2 Sheets-Sheet 2` (No Model.)

lance with this invention.

.uTTnn STATES PATENT Ormea.

v /.\ARO1\T AUGUST BROWN, OF RAVLNS, WYOMING.

DRIVING VCHANISV FOR BICYCLES.

SIECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,06 5, dated March13, 1900. Application' filed July 31, 1899. Serial No. 725,659. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it knownjhat I, AARON AUGUST BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rawlins, in the county of Carbon and Statev of /Vyomng, haveinvented a new and useful Driving Mechanism for Bicycles and otherVehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to driving mechan- 1 reference indicate similarparts in the severalv views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycleequipped with driving mechanism in accord- Fig. 2 is atransverse sectionof a bicycle-wheel,taken through its axis, the adjacent portions of theframe of a bicycle being shown in elevation.V Fig. 3 is a verticalsection of a wheel embodying the invention, which section is taken atright angles to the axis of the wheel. Fig. 4 is a detail section of aportion of the tire and showing the form and arrangement of a compression-chamber. v

Referring now to the drawings, in operating in accordance with thisinvention there is formed a bicycle-frame comprising rear forks 5,seat-tube 6, top bar 7, and tie-rods 8, of the usual construction, andto the forward end of which top bar is fixed a head 9, in which is journaled a stem carrying at one end the handle-bars and at the other enda forkcrown 11, to which are fixed the fork sides 12, as is usual. 4Thatportion of the frame corresponding to the bottom bar in a diamond-framemachine is continued outwardly and forwardly from the crank-hanger 13 ofthe frame to apoint adjacent the front wheel la, mounted in the frontforks, from which point the bottom bar is extended upwardly to the head9 and substantially parallel with the adjacent periphery of the frontwheel.

The crank-axle 15 of the machine is provided with the usual cranks andpedals and with any desired form of power-transmitting mechanism between.the crank-axle and the rear wheel, in this instance there being shownwhat is known as the chainless bicycle.

Mounted upon the crank-axle 13 is a gear 16, meshingwith a pinion 17upon the forwardly-eXtending portion of the bottom bar of thebicycle-frame, and which pinion carries la crank-pin `18, with which isconnected a pitman 19, connected with the piston-rod 20, extending fromthe cylinder 2l of an engine supported upon the top bar 7 of the frame.The cylinder y21 has the usual valve mechanism and is provided with afeed-pipe, as shown, which has direct communication with the top bar 7of the bicycleframe- Air-pressure for operating the engine abovedescribed is'secured-from the tires of the two wheels of the bicycle,the pressure from which wheels is conducted to the bicycle-frame and`thence to the cylinderof the engine.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2, 3, and 4. of the drawings,in order to secure the energy necessary for the operation of the engineeach wheel of the bicycle consists of va felly 31, connected through themedium of spokes 23 with a hub 24; Mounted in the felly 3l is a tire ofrubber or other suitable resilient material comprising a base portion22, having formed therein two annular passages 25 and 26 side by sideand lying entirely within said base portion. Opening into the inclosureof the tire, which is of tubular form, are perforations 27 and '28,communieating with the passages 25 and 26, the per'- forations 27 havingvalves 29 opening in the direction of the passage 25, while theperforations 28 have valves 30 opening outwardly from the passage 26 andinto the inclosure of the tire. l/Vithin the inclosure of the tire isarranged a plurality of compression-cham bers 32, of rubber or otherfiexible material, and which chambersare substantially se1nicircular inlongitudinal section, the comparatively-fiat sides or bases of saidchambers being disposed against theinner face of the base 22 of thetire, openings 33 and 34. in the said IOO ilat sides being arranged toaline with their corresponding openings 27 and 2S, respectively, wherebycomm unicationbetween each chamber and the passages 25 and 26 issecured. The compression-chambers 32 are arranged end to end within theinclosure of the tire, and thus as the wheel is rotated in practice theWeight of the rider will actuate the chambers successively, acting tocompress l nected at one end with the passage 26, and' leading inwardlyand radially of the wheel to a point adjacent to the, hub thereof inorder that the inlet end of said tube may be as far as possible, fromthe tread of the wheel, and thus take in a minimum of dust.

In order to conduct the air under pressure from the passage 25 to theframe of the machine, an air-supply tube 36 is passed through the felly81 and opens into the passage 25, the opposite end of said tube beingconnected with a nipple 37 upon a hub 38 of the wheel, and through whichnipple is formed a perforation 39, opening into the bore of the hub. Atone side of this perforation 39 is formed an inwardly-directed annularflange 40, adapted to lie against a similar flange 41 upon the outersurface ofv an axle 42, passed through the hub. A second similar ilange43 is formed upon the axle at the opposite side of the pery foration 39,resulting in the formation of an annular groove about the periphery ofthe axle. Opening from this groove into the bore of the axle,'one end ofwhich latter is hollow, as shown, is the perforation 44, wherebydirect'communication between the passage 25 and the bore of the axle issecured. The adjacent inner facel of the hub 24 is screwthreaded, asshown, and in engagement with which threads is a ring 45, adapted tobear upon the outer face of the flange 43, and thus hold the flanges 40and 4l in close contact. Suitable ball-bearings are arranged between thehub 24 and the axle 42 of any desired style, and thus it will be seenthat as the wheel is rotated the perforation 39 will be in constantcommunication with the adjacent annular groove of the axle, and hence inconstant communication with the bore of the axle.

The ends of the axle 42 are threaded in the usual manner for therecept-ion of clampingnuts, which hold the axle nxedly with respect tothe fork sides 12 of the bicycle-frame. A flexible tube 50, having ametallic end, is screwed upon the tubular end of the shaft 42 and isextended upwardly along one of the fork sides 12, and thence to thecurved portion of the bottom bar, with which it is in comm uncation. Theends of the top and bottom bars are hermetically sealed, communicationtherebetween being secured through the medium of a tubular connection52, and thus may the air under pressure in the front wheel enter the topbar of the bicycle-frame and be conducted from thence to the cylinder ofthe engine to drive the piston.

It is of course understood that the construction of the rear wheel ofthe bicycle is identical with that just described. The rear axle 53 hasa rigid connection with one of the sides of the rear fork 5, which inturn has a tubular connection 54 with the top bar 7.

Thus in practice the bicycle may be driven through the medium of itsusual driving mechanism, when the rotation ofthe wheels thereof willcause the successive compression-of the compression-chambers, with theresult that the air therefrom is forced through the passages 27 andsupply-pipes 36 to the frame of the bicycle, and thence to the cylinderof the engine, exerting pressure upon the piston within the cylinder,which piston will be reciprocated to rotate the pinion 17 and therewiththe gear 16.

.It will of course be understood in practice that this driving mechanismmay be applied to a machine having a frame of any style and with littlevariation of the frame to better accommodate the different parts andalso that any specific form of engine may be employed and that theshapes of the com pression-chaml bers, as also the material of whichthey are formed, may be varied as desired.

lVhat is claimed is- 1. The combination with a vehicle-frame, of a motorcarried thereby, and Wheels rotatably mounted vupon the frame, each ofsaid wheels having a resilient and elastic tire comprising inlet andoutlet passages, compression-chambers within the tire and. connectedwith the passages, and connections between the outlet-passages and themotor for delivering energy thereto.

2. The combination with a vehicle-frame,- and a motor carried thereby,of a wheel rota tably mounted in the frame, connections between saidwheel and motor for communicating motion from one to the other,and anelastic and resilient tire for the wheel comprising a base portionhaving passages therein, com-v pression-chambers within the tire, valvedinlet-openings for the chambers from one of the passages, valvedoutlet-openings from the chambers to the second passage, and connectionsbetween the last-named passage and the motor.

3. A bicycle-tire comprising a thickened base portion, and a treadportion, passages within the thickened portion, openings leading to thepassages, a plurality of compression chambers Within the tire,additional openings connecting the passages with each of thecompression-chambers, and a Valve in each of said last-named openings.

Ile

4. A bicycle-tire comprising a thickened sion-chambers' Within thetireandhavingoom- 1o base portion anda tread portion, an in1et-pasmunication with said Valved openings. Sage and an outlet-passage Withinsaid base In testimony that I claim the foregoing as portion,perforations communicating with the i my own I have hereto affixed mysignature in inlet-passage and the inclosure of the tire and thepresence of tWo witnesses. having valves opening outwardly from theAARON AUGUST BROWN.

passage, similar Valved openings for the out- I/Vtnesses: let-passage,the valves of Which open inwardly ERIK BRAND, of the passage, and aplurality of compi'es- J. P. MEALS.

